Seeking interviews with former cult members

Hello, and thanks for visiting.

I’m looking for former cult members to interview for an audio story. When I hear cults and their members discussed in popular culture and society I mostly hear: “What’s wrong with those people?” with the presumed answer being: “They’re a little bit crazy, and that could never happen to me.” When people don’t understand the ways cults recruit and function, they are more vulnerable to being recruited themselves and less able to help loved ones who have become involved in these groups. I want to take listeners inside the cult experience by recording interviews with people who have been there. Listeners will hear about how former members' lives intersected with cults and their little-understood tactics. Listeners will come to understand cult tactics such as milieu control, thought control, information control, and emotional control, as described by experts like Steven Hassan and Robert Jay Lifton.

The story will explore the whole process, from recruitment and the “honeymoon” phase, through disillusionment, leaving, and finally rebuilding a life with hope for the future. Ideally, the story will even reach potential cult recruits and help them to critically evaluate people and groups they encounter.

Please contact me (below) if you’re interested in being interviewed for this project. If you have questions or concerns, but might be interested, please be in touch and we can talk. I’m able to keep your name and the name of your group confidential if you’d like. It’s always an honor when someone sits down to share their story with me, and that's especially true for this project. I want to say in advance that I’m grateful to my interview subjects for sharing your experiences. Your comfort and well-being are important to me, and I’m happy to let you determine which topics you'd like to discuss and which are off limits.